


Last Goodbye

by herohelio



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:33:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26966743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herohelio/pseuds/herohelio
Summary: Heroes normally save princesses, not run away from them.(Or: Ravio tries to reason with someone he knows is too far gone.)
Relationships: Ravio & Princess Hilda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	Last Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> second piece for the [Linked by Fate: A Link Appreciation Zine!](https://linkedfatezine.tumblr.com/) welcome to angst central :D

**_3 Days to Go_ **

_She wants to do the right thing.  
_

_I wish I could help her.  
_

_But leaving is my only option.  
_

**_2 Days to Go_ **

_She's being duped. Doesn't she  
_

_realize that? He's just a leech.  
_

_There's no choice but to go.  
_

**_1 Day to Go_** _  
_

_I have so little magic. Enough to  
_

_go there—maybe not to come back.  
_

_But tomorrow must be the day.  
_

_I may never see her again, but  
_

_I vow to save her from all of this.  
_

**_Today_ ** **_  
_**

_It’s time to go. Maybe I can  
_

_convince her this time. Maybe  
_

_she’ll realize the truth._

_But if not, then I have no choice.  
_

_Goodbye.  
_

* * *

“Whatcha looking at, Sheerow?”

The bird in question chirped, pecking at the journal’s page. Ravio looked up from his bag, pausing in his packing to read it. He chuckled and clamped it shut, but didn’t place it inside the pouch like the rest of his items. Sheerow tilted his head.

“It’s not that important,” he explained, petting him lightly. “It’s fine here--not like anybody’s going to read it!”

Sheerow bobbed his head up and down in understanding. Ravio laughed despite the twisted feeling in his gut.

“C’mon, let’s go. We’re running out of time. She or Yuga will notice soon.”

Closing the door, he took one last look at his house. The hinges on the roof were falling off, the windows cracking and nature slowly taking it over. He could see the clutter of boxes and furniture indoors that he left in his haste to leave. The wooden sign’s script overhead was ineligible and there was an arrow embedded into it. 

It was a part of Lorule, all right. Destroyed, decaying, and dying. That was the motto he grew up with. 

But it was his home and _if_ he returned, there would be a chance that he wouldn’t have it anymore. That his house, the place he loved and grew in, wouldn’t be there, standing on the hill.

_Tweet?_ Sheerow gestured towards the direction of the castle, the spires towering over the treetops and cliffs. Ravio pulled his hood over his face and gave a thumbs up.

“Sorry, got worried over nothing. Let’s go!” 

He didn’t understand why the front of his hood was damp. 

* * *

Once, Lorule castle was something marvelous.

Pristine castle walls, built of perfectly cut stones and glass. Soldiers guarded each entrance and exit, halting those who dared trespass. Lush green gardens and grass decorated the outside, with fruits and vegetables grown for the people to eat. The townsfolk gathered in front for festivals and holidays, children and adults laughing alike.

Once, Lorule castle was vibrant and thriving.

Ravio bid a greeting to the guards and stepped past them inside. They barely spared a glance at him and his oversized satchel. Overgrown vines covered the exterior walls, the once perfect stone crumbling. Patches of grass and trees withered in the castle square and Ravio stepped on a few fallen leaves before entering a corridor.

The lantern lights flickered, the flame dying by the second. Ravio put a hand onto the wall, letting it guide his path. If he was fast enough, he would be able to leave before...

Heels tapped on marble, echoing throughout the hallway. Ravio immediately ducked behind a crumbling pillar, camouflaging in the darkness. His plan seemed to work, as the figure passed him, their footsteps becoming faint. He sighed in relief.

_Tweet!_

Sheerow toward him and perched onto his shoulder, continuing to tweet loudly.

_Tweet!_

“Sheerow, no! Shhh!” He shook his head and cupped his hands over Sheerow's beak.

The said bird screeched in response, attempting to break free. He squirmed, biting Ravio’s thumb.

“Ow!” Ravio released him. ”Sheerow! You’re not supposed to—“

“Ravio.” 

The coldness of the voice perfectly matched the freezing air of the castle. If anything, it made the room’s temperature drop even further and the light of the lantern near him died. Ravio flinched, pushing his hood off and turning to the voice’s owner.

Princess Hilda stood in front of him.

“Y-your Royal Highness!” He dropped to the floor in an instant and kneeled.

“Rise,” she ordered. “Might I inquire what it is that you are doing?”

Ravio rubbed the back of his head and kept his eyes trained on the floor. “Um...I was just going to get something I forgot.”

There was a pause, and the princess sighed. “Ravio.” Her tone was gentler this time, and Ravio looked up. “What are you really doing?”

In the dim hallway, Ravio could only make out a few features of her, but it was enough to make him grimace. Hair disheveled and dress wrinkled, her ruby circlet nearly slipping off her head. Eye bags, dark and stretched with tired eyes that were scanning his body for answers. The princess leaned onto her staff for support, her body shaking.

She looked exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. Under normal circumstances, Ravio would have gone with the lie he planned to tell her in the first place, but with the state she was in...

He gulped. Every nerve in his body was screaming and telling him to just lie and run, run far far away like he always did when faced with problems—yet he couldn’t do it. Ravio froze, his feet rooted to the ground as his mouth opened.

“I’m...I’m leaving.”

Two words. Two words were all it took for Hilda’s face to contort from exhaustion to confusion to anger. “What?!”

“I’m leaving!” He repeated, firmer. Sheerow tweeted to echo his statement. “Princess, Yuga is evil! Can’t you see! He’s using you! His plan is dangerous and he doesn’t care about saving Lorule or you! All he wants, all he cares about, is himself! He just wants power!”

Tears streamed from his eyes, hot with anger. Sheerow wiped some away with his feathers. Ravio ignored it. Everything he had been bottling up, his suspicions about Yuga, the decay of Lorule, overflowed his mind. She needed to know, to listen. She was the princess, soon-to-be-queen of Lorule, the one person whose existence was solely linked to the fate of their kingdom.

“You,” her voice shook, and Ravio looked at her, hopeful that he might have gotten to her in the end, only to realize her voice shook with rage and not what he hoped. “Ravio.”

The coldness and weariness from before returned. Unlike before, where it drained the life out of the princess, it seemed to fuel her; she stood upright, eyes ablaze with fury, and slammed her staff down.

“Lorule is dying, Ravio,” she finally spoke. “My people—our people are suffering, day after day. I am sick of waking up each morning and seeing the kingdom fall further into darkness!

“Yuga has helped me find a chance to save us! At least he even has a plan, at least he isn’t afraid to take action! Of course, the plan is dangerous, all plans are!“

“Hilda!” Sheerow screeched alongside Ravio. “Yuga plans to steal another kingdom’s Triforce! You can’t do that! You’ll destroy them! Worlds are linked to a Triforce, you cannot take—”

“Hyrule is not my kingdom,” Hilda said quietly. She turned away from him and to one of the fading tapestries on the wall. Lorule’s Triforce was the center image and the three goddesses each took up a portion of it according to their role. The rest of the kingdom surrounded it, the people wearing smiles on their faces, holding food and riches. “Lorule is. I am doing what is best for my kingdom. What happens to Hyrule is not my concern.”

“But—“ Ravio fiddled with the straps on his bag. “That’s--”

Hilda continued, relentless. “You don’t understand that because you don’t know what it is to be a leader. You’re too scared to rise up. You’ve always been afraid.”

The words she spoke sliced through his heart and mind, and he sobbed, Sheerow tweeting rapidly beside him as he kept trying to convince himself that she was wrong, she was angry, she didn’t know what she was saying, that it was all Yuga’s fault—

Though deep down, he knew she was right.

“I-“

“I don’t want to hear your excuses!” Hilda snapped. “If you even have an ounce of courage in you, stop being a coward and help me! Otherwise, LEAVE.” 

“Princess--Hilda—“

“I said, _leave!”_

She swung her staff, hitting a lantern in the process. It shattered on impact, pieces of glass flying and the light in the hallway disappearing completely.

When she had relighted another one, Ravio was already gone.

* * *

The crack in the wall glowed brightly, purple sparks swirling. Ravio stepped forward, letting his magic mix with what was inside.

His knowledge of Hyrule wasn’t much, aside from the fact that it was much better off than Lorule. Their Triforce was intact, but that didn’t necessarily guarantee a perfect world. Monsters and all sorts of evils would still be there, he knew that--

Ravio sighed. He really was a coward. 

Fiddling with his bracelet, he recited the spell needed to grant him passage. Days of poring over books in the deteriorated library led up to this final moment. As he remembered, dust coated the book that contained the spell, and the book itself was written in ancient runes. It was a miracle that Ravio deciphered it, and he’d need another one for the spell to work.

“Please…” He begged, hand outstretched to the wall, still muttering the spell. “Please...work.”

The wall glowed blue, expelling balls of light. Sheerow tweeted in triumph, but Ravio collapsed on the ground.

_Tweet?_ Concerned, Sheerow flew next to him.

“I’m fine, Sheerow!” Ravio flashed him a smile as he tried to stand, only to fall again. The gem of his bracelet’s hue changed, turning a dull shade of red rather than the brilliant scarlet from before.

The message was clear. He only had enough to leave. Not enough to return. And he had already used it up. 

Ravio got to his feet once more, staggering, but not falling. He walked towards the wall with Sheerow close behind. His hand passed through the wall’s glow, and Ravio took a deep breath before stepping through it.

Hilda wanted someone with the courage to help her.

And that person Ravio would find.


End file.
